In what forests do milk mushrooms grow: where to look, where to collect, when to collect, where they grow in Our Country and by region

Milk mushrooms grow in approximately the same places, regardless of the region. If you know what soils mushrooms prefer, and in what weather they appear, then the collection of mushrooms will become much more successful.

How mushrooms grow

Edible milk mushrooms, or milkers, are highly respected by mushroom pickers – fruiting bodies are especially good in salting for the winter. However, not everyone manages to bring a full basket of edible milkers from the forest, even at the height of the season, many return empty-handed. In order for the search to be successful, you need to know in which forests milkers come across, what weather conditions they prefer, and take into account the growth time of milk mushrooms.

You need to go mushroom hunting at a specific time and in specific places.

In what forest do mushrooms grow

The area of ​​growth of lactifers in forests is very wide. First of all, you need to remember that they are divided into many varieties, and their preferences for places of growth may differ.

In general, milk mushrooms grow in both deciduous and coniferous forests. Most often you can find them in places such as birch and aspen groves, forests with a large number of poplars and beeches. Mushrooms are found in clearings and on forest roadsides, depending on the species:

1. Edible white milk mushroom usually chooses places near birches.
2. The milky violinist is especially fond of beeches.
3. Aspen lactifers grow massively in places near poplars and aspens.
4. The black type of lactic is more common in mixed and coniferous plantings.

Almost any lactic plant chooses deciduous and mixed forests for growth.

When looking for a place with abundant lactiferous growth, one should take into account that these mushrooms, like most others, form a symbiosis with certain trees. In this case, the development of the mycelium requires a certain time, the process can take several years. Thus, the chances of picking milk mushrooms in old forests are much higher; in places of young plantings, they are extremely rare.

At what temperature do mushrooms grow

Although the first mushrooms appear in the middle of summer, the temperature requirements for the milkers are rather autumnal. To start fruiting, it is necessary that the temperature above the ground is 8-10 degrees above zero.

That is why milk mushrooms grow best in the forest after rains. In such weather, the temperature at the soil surface drops to comfortable values. In addition, the humidity rises, for mushrooms it should be quite large. Mushrooms grow mainly on moist soils, but they are not found in open sunny places.

How long does it take for a mushroom to grow after rain

Milk mushrooms grow quickly – the life cycle takes an average of only about 2 weeks. In the presence of a comfortable temperature and humidity, usually after a warm and not too heavy rain, the fruiting body begins to develop from the mycelium.

The growth of mushroom bodies takes an average of 2 weeks

On the first day, the lactiferous grows only up to 3 mm above the soil surface, in the following days it continues to increase slightly in growth. Fruiting bodies of this species cannot grow quickly, they are too dense and heavy. Usually the growth of mushrooms takes 7-12 days, this is how much time you need to count after the rain before you go in search.

Where does the mushroom grow

In order to successfully collect a full basket of fruiting bodies, you need to ask in advance in which areas milk mushrooms grow most actively. You also need to find out what places they prefer in the forest, even within the same grove, you can walk past mushrooms for a long time if you do not know their preferences for specific places.

You need to look for mushroom bodies in the grass and under the leaves.

Where to look for mushrooms in the forest

Regardless of whether the mushroom grows in a birch forest or near aspen and poplar, it is usually located in the immediate vicinity of the trees. This allows you to maintain symbiosis, the mycelium and the roots of the tree exchange nutrients and moisture with each other. Therefore, it is pointless to look for fruiting bodies in the center of wide glades, in ravines and other open places, they choose places closer to tree trunks.

Mushrooms prefer moderately moist soils. Most often they grow under a carpet of last year’s fallen leaves, under a layer of crumbled needles or in tall grass. Often, milkers choose places next to ferns and strawberries, so you need to look at such areas especially carefully. You can also collect growing milk mushrooms in mosses and on the outskirts of swamps, on clearings and roadsides near trees.

But in heavily swampy places, on the banks of rivers and lakes, as well as in dark and dense shrub thickets, fruiting bodies do not grow. Excess moisture and lack of light do not like mushroom bodies, in such conditions they cannot grow.

Any milkers prefer moderately moist soils.

Where do milk mushrooms grow in Our Country

On the territory of Our Country, milkers in almost all varieties are found everywhere. These mushrooms are not rare, in particular, you can find them:

• in the middle lane and in the suburbs;
• in the Urals;
• in Western and Eastern Siberia;
• in the southern and middle Volga region;
• in the northern regions and in the Kaliningrad region.

In places of their growth, mushroom bodies usually appear not singly, but in whole groups, or families. Theoretically, they can be found in almost any birch or aspen forest, mixed plantings. But in different regions of Our Country, it is customary to single out specific places where milk mushrooms grow in increased quantities:

1. In the Moscow region, fruit bodies are most often found in the south and in the Kursk direction from the capital. According to the reviews of mushroom pickers, Chekhov, Hryvno, Chepelevo, Kolkhoznaya, Avangard stations are good places for collecting fruiting bodies; in the forests near these railway platforms, full baskets can be successfully collected. An excellent mushroom route runs near the Lvovskaya station outside the village of Lagovskoye, where there is an extensive birch woodland.
2. In Siberia, especially plentiful crops of lactifers are found in Transbaikalia and not far from Chita. You can also go in search of mushrooms in the vicinity of Tyumen and Surgut, near Tobolsk, in the Altai Territory.
3. In the Urals, milk mushrooms grow most actively in their usual places of fruiting in the Chelyabinsk region.
4. In the middle lane, milk mushrooms are successfully harvested in the Lower Volga region, in the Volga floodplain and in the Kirov region.

Each region has its own special places to collect milkers.

When does the season of mushrooms begin?

General rules recommend collecting milk mushrooms from mid-summer to late autumn. But there are more specific dates indicating the fruiting season.

When do mushrooms leave, in what month

The first fruiting bodies appear in the forests around the 20th of July. Especially often at this time you can find oak and aspen species in the appropriate places.

However, mass fruiting of mushrooms begins closer to autumn; in August and September, fruiting bodies grow especially abundantly. It is during this period that most of the territory of Our Country develops optimal weather conditions with moderate temperatures and high humidity.

The best time to go mushroom picking is in August.

How to collect milk mushrooms

To safely collect a lot of ripe and tasty mushrooms, you need to have an idea about their varieties. Milkers are both edible and unsuitable for food consumption.

What mushrooms can be collected

First of all, in the season of mushrooms, mushroom pickers look for white, or real mushrooms, in places of collection. This mushroom has the greatest culinary value and is suitable not only for salting, but also for heat treatment.

The white mushroom is easily recognizable by its wide cap with slight pubescence and a funnel-shaped depression in the middle. The cap of the mushroom is whitish or creamy yellow, the stem is up to 10 cm tall, and the flesh is white and yellowing at the break.

In addition to the white mushroom, there are other subspecies. Among them, the following are of particular value:

• the black – the breast has an olive-brown hat;

  

• violinist – outwardly, the mushroom is very similar to a white mushroom, but its juice turns pink at a break, and does not turn yellow;

  

• aspen – a whitish pubescent hat may be covered with pinkish spots;

  

• peppery – the cap of the fruiting body is smooth and dull white;

  

• yellow – the mushroom looks the same as the real one, but its shade is dark golden or brown-yellow.

  

All of these types are suitable for salting and other cooking methods. Any milkers must first be soaked in order to eliminate bitter juice from the pulp as much as possible.

How to search for milk mushrooms

When looking for lactifers in their places of growth, it must be remembered that fruiting bodies usually hide in grass or under a cover of needles and fallen leaves. Therefore, mushroom bodies are easy to miss literally under one’s feet, their hats often merge with the general forest background.

To find milk mushrooms in the forest, it is recommended to take a long stick with you. When walking through the forest in places where mushrooms can grow, you need to walk very slowly and carefully move the leaves and grass under your feet with a stick.

When looking for fruiting bodies, you need to carefully look at the grass

Cut or pluck: collection rules

It is also necessary to remove milk mushrooms from the ground according to the rules. It is impossible to pull mushrooms out of the soil with force, while the system of the mycelium is damaged, and the next year the fruits in the same place no longer grow.

Experienced mushroom pickers recommend using a sharp knife to collect and carefully cut off the leg flush with the ground. Another way is to take the fruiting body by the base and gently twist it in one direction or another in order to disconnect the leg from the mycelium with minimal damage to the latter.

Conclusion

Milk mushrooms grow in places of deciduous and mixed plantings, mainly near birches and aspens. If you follow them to the right places and in the right weather, then the search will certainly be successful.